Newsletter
March 16, 2001

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From Booker T. Worm
(T stands for Text)
Booker T. Worm is the cyber authority for great books, fun facts, and good times.

A NOTE FROM BOOKER

Hello!

This week, to celebrate the arrival of the new Harry Potter books there was a celebration at my local bookstore. It was such fun to get together with the worm kids to talk about these books. The first thing we did was draw a picture of our favorite Harry Potter character. These pictures were put on the display in the store. I admit that I am not a very good artist --- I have too many legs and not enough fingers. But, nonetheless I made a great picture of Harry, if I do say so myself.

Then we had a scavenger hunt around the store. We were divided into two teams. Each team got an envelope with a Harry Potter trivia question in it. One of the worms answered it and we had to think about where that thing from the book would be in the store. As an example, "Norwegian Ridgeback" was an answer to one of the questions. As a Ridgeback is a dragon, we then moved to the mythology area of the store to find the next clue. There were five clues in all. It was such fun to work with the kids to come up with the answers. Our team did not win, but the people from the store served us some terrific cookies! Have you read these new books yet? To read our reviews of the books, click here. Then let me know what you think of them by writing to me at BookerTWorm@aol.com.

Speaking of Harry Potter, vote in our NEW Harry Potter poll to tell us what you think of the movie preview.

Now, on to more news for this week...

---Booker T. Worm

St. Patrick's Day Books
Earlier this afternoon, I had one of my good friends over for a visit. Her name is Rita Book, and she brought her daughter named Writa Book with her. Rita Book wanted to stop by to let me read her new collection of St. Patrick's Day books. Since I am a green worm, and green is the color for St. Patrick's Day, she thought I would love to read about the holiday that is coming up next week! You do not have to be Irish in order to have fun reading about Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. I am a bookworm, and I know I will enjoy reading the books!

HOLES by Louis Sachar
Almost every week, readers send us e-mail telling us how much they love HOLES. Here are two e-mails I got recently from fellow bookworms:

"I saw that someone wrote about Holes. We are reading that book in my class. I have the copy at my house and I read ahead and finished the book. It is VERY VERY good."

"Hi, I must say that Holes is my favorite book and I felt like I was in the
story right along with Stanley and Zero!"

Well, we heard you! We put together a special feature all about this amazing book. It's chock full of information and games for fans of HOLES and other readers who want to know more about the book. Learn more about HOLES in our review and read part of the book online. Meet Louis Sachar and find out what else he has written. Then try your hand at trivia games and word scrambles for HOLES and the Wayside School books by the same author. Don't miss any part of this special HOLES feature!

A Series of Unfortunate Events
In the darkly hilarious book series "A Series of Unfortunate Events," author Lemony Snicket shares with readers everything he knows about the Baudelaire family. After much careful research on the Baudelaires, a very wealthy bunch who seem to be the unluckiest clan in the world, Snicket is an expert.

Explore our feature and find out more about these unusual books and their mysterious author. You won't want to miss this unique and very funny reading experience, not to mention our Lemony Snicket Word Scramble!

Trivia
We have been very busy coming up with new trivia for you! I hope that you enjoy the word scrambles and trivia games. This week we've added Wayside School Trivia, a Holes Trivia Game, and a new Author Trivia Game. Good luck!

JACK THE GIANT KILLER
JACK THE GIANT KILLER is a retelling of an old, old story. Richard Doyle was 18 in 1842. He copied the text of this book from a fairy tale that was already hundreds of years old, and he illustrated it with his own drawings, turning it into a picture book. He did this for his own amusement; he did not try to publish it. But five years after he died, his family published it, in 1888. 

THE WORLD AT HER FINGERTIPS: THE STORY OF HELEN KELLER
This is a good biography of Helen Keller (1880-1968), who was blind and deaf but demonstrated that many things in life were still possible to those with physical challenges. This volume covers all the major events and important people in Keller's life.

CASTAWAYS OF THE FLYING DUTCHMEN
Once crew members on the famous ghost ship The Flying Dutchman, a cabin boy named Ben and his dog Ned become ghosts of sorts, too.

Quote of the Week
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.
--Abraham Lincoln

Mailbag

Poems from fellow Bookworms:
Alone

Parents on business trip
Sister in college
Friends on vacation
I'm so alone

The world seems dark
Its like I've been eaten by a shark
Days go by slow
I feel like a crow
I'm too bored for happy thoughts
Like a jailer I'm caught
Then comes a sound
"SURPRISE!" I am finally found
And what happenin' is pleasin'
Its the funnest of the season
"Why have a party?" "No reason."
We danced all night
It was such a cool sight
I'm now in a wonderful light
its BRIGHT

* * * * *
To be friends, or not to be, that is the question!
Today is sad,
it is very bad.
My friend has changed so much,
won't even sit with me at lunch.
Once so kind,
she was divine.
Now cruel,
to me at school.
At home we are friends,
at school the taunting never ends.

* * * * *

Kittens, Kittens!
I LOVE kittens.
big, small
I love them all.
Kittens, Kittens!
starts with the letter in my name:
Kristen!
Kittens, Kittens!
I LOVE kittens.
small, big.
But, no. Not your PIG!!!!!

Mail from fellow Bookworms:

Note from Booker: Do you have a great read that you'd like to tell others about? If so, drop me a note about it at BookerTWorm@aol.com and maybe you'll see it posted in the next newsletter!

* * * * *

Hi Bookworm! I'm reading a trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce... The first book is 'Darkangel' the second is 'Gathering of Gargoyles' the last is 'Pearl of the Soul of the World.' I love them all!!!

* * * * *

Read celery stalks at midnight

* * * * *

I  love   jan  brett  and  eve bunting  and  marc  brown.      

* * * * *

Have you read the''Encyclopedia of Presidents" series?
I have read 11 books from that series.

* * * * *

I finished reading Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them this morning and I thought that they were great! They, especially Quidditch Through the Ages, answered a lot of questions for me. I am glad to have helped others by doing something I love to do (Comic Relief UK helps kids).

* * * * *

I love the kid who ran for president and the kid who became president by Dan Gutman because it inspires kids that when they're 35 years old they might want to run for office.

* * * * *

Hello! I'm 11 and in the 5th grade. I really enjoy the Faerie Books by Andrew Land because i love fantasy so I suggest you put them on your site! Also the ballet shoes series by Noel Streatfield are the best!

* * * * *

When Little Rabbit is born her eyes are closed and she has no fur. She doesn't look cuddly at all! But Little Rabbit soon grows. Her ears are long and velvety and her nose twitches as she starts to explore her burrow. Then one day Mother Rabbit takes babies on their first outing. "This is fun" thinks Little Rabbit as she hops about and nibbles the grass. The End

* * * * *

I am 10 years old.   I love the story It's Not Easy Being Bad . That is the best story I have ever read. I would like to read more by this author.

* * * * *

You won't believe how much I like to read. I always read before I go to bed.  In school, they always expect you to read for homework stuff, but I like read just for fun. I enjoy reading mystery, legend, comic, and fictional books. Especially the "Box Car Children" and the Wishbone books.  I'm glad there are books. Whoever brought up books, I want to thank them with all my heart. 

* * * * *

I also love to read! Some of my favorite books are Charlotte's Web, Holes, and Chicken Soup books. I love math and READING! Usually when I pick up a book I can't stop reading it!

* * * * *

Hi I am a mother of three little young children. I would just like to say that the people who make bookertworm teach my three toddlers so much. I hope the people who read this letter know that you people mean a lot to young kids. you do so much to teach them.

My favorite book is Ella Enchanted. It's about a girl who has lost her mother, and her father is never home. She finds out she has fairy blood in her and sets out to find a fairy that cast a spell on her at birth. I recommend this book to kids that like adventures and creatures who aren't real. I really liked the book and I think you will too!

* * * * *

I choose Gertrude Chandler Warner as my favorite author

* * * * *

My favorite book is THE FACE ON THE MILK CARTON and the 3 other books in this series.

* * * * *

I am very glad that you put Dr. Seuss's little column in. I have been reading the books since kindergarten. Even though I am in 5th grade I still enjoy the books. Sometimes I read them to my 2 year old cousin (he loves them). Thanks again From a fan

* * * * *

I am a big fan of books. one of my favorite books is Captain Underpants its really funny. If it's not Captain Underpants I won't read it. and another book I will read is Ralph's mouse. My teacher tries to talk me into reading a different book but I will just look at it.

* * * * *

I read a really great book recently called "Dave at Night." It's by Gail Carson Levine, who wrote Ella Enchanted. It even won a Newbery Honor. It's definitely worth a read! It's set in the 1920's during the prohibition. It takes place in Harlem during the black renaissance. I'd recommend it to anyone ages 11-18! :)

* * * * *

I love books!!! Here are some of my faves: Ann M. Martin= Babysitters Club books. Could you do trivia games on the Babysitters? Paula Dangizer= Amber Brown Could you do trivia games on Amber? Barbara Parks= Junie B. Jones Carolyn Keene= Nancy Drew

I could go on forever!! I read a lot. Sometimes I read when I am supposed to be asleep.

I read "The Wizard in Oz" in one day!!! (That's because I read it when I was supposed to be asleep.) I read "Nancy Drew and the Secret of the Old Clock in two days, and "Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase Mystery" in two, too!!!

* * * * *

I would suggest for anyone to read the series, The Royal Diaries. These books are about royal girls and are the best!

* * * * *

One of the students I go to school with has a grandparent in a nursing home. He was hit by a truck. He suffered a seizure, and went into a concussion. He came out of it, but he was never the same, EVER! They had to teach him everything all over again. How to eat, crawl, then walk, take baths, they had to school him and everything! He was a mess! When he finally learned his ABC's, they started teaching him some words, like cat, dog, mouse, house, hat, little words, and numbers. By the way, before the accident, he loved to read!!! So I suggested that he take a Dr. Seuss book to him, read it to him a few times, and then let him read it, or however he would have learned to read it by himself. IT WORKED!!!!! He was reading. when everybody was sleeping, the doctors were around checking on people. They found him sitting up, reading that book! at like midnight!!! So, I was wondering, maybe you could have an organization where people would volunteer their time, and help at a local library to read to the little kids, or in a nursing home to read, or tell real stories, or just to encourage them.

* * * * *

Remember to be safe online. NEVER tell anyone personal information --- which includes your real name, age, address, phone number or school. Hey, pretend you are undercover when you go online and protect yourself!

Thanks for all your e-mail recommending great books to read.
Keep reading! Until next week...

Booker T. Worm and Friends